


Hallownest's Hero

by DeckofDragons



Category: Hollow Knight (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Canon-Typical Violence, Fluff, Gen, Ghost Saves Everyone, Ghost is The Shade Lord, Ghost isn't hollow, Including Quirrel and the Dreamers, Mild Gore, friends - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-18
Updated: 2020-05-28
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:42:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 18,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23714596
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeckofDragons/pseuds/DeckofDragons
Summary: Ghost saves everyone.
Relationships: Broken Vessel | Lost Kin & The Knight, Grimmchild & The Knight (Hollow Knight), The Knight & Cloth, The Knight & Myla, The Knight & Tiso (Hollow Knight)
Comments: 72
Kudos: 432





	1. Myla

**Author's Note:**

> I started with just wanting to write Ghost saving Myla from the infection, that's what we have here in this first chapter, but that gave me the idea of them saving everyone else too because why not? It should be fun. Grimmchild's along for the ride too simply because I love him.

Myla’s singing should’ve been audible by now and yet the only sound Ghost could hear was the soft flap of Grimmchild’s wings just behind them. It was a bit unsettling even though she was _probably_ just taking a break. She couldn’t be expected to mine all the time after all. Hopefully she wasn’t sleeping though because Ghost wanted to chat, it had been a while since they’d last seen her.

Despite the lack of song and clink of mining, Myla was right where she’d been last time Ghost had been here. She stood with her back to them, seemingly staring at the crystals in front of her.

As they approached, Ghost purposefully kicked a loose crystal fragment on the ground to announce their presence – that wasn’t really necessary now that Grimmchild was here to make some sounds for them but old habits died hard. Moving sluggishly, she responded, turning to face them.

Grimmchild hissed and reared back, preparing to spit a fireball. Ghost jumped up to grab his tail and yank him down, causing the fireball to hit the crystals above Myla’s head instead of Myla herself. She didn’t even flinch; the Infection had gotten to her.

Not completely though. Her otherwise empty eyes had a dot of orange in them, a signifier of the Infection. But she didn’t attack or even raise her weapon. That’s how Ghost had found both Sly and Bretta, meaning she could be brought back… hopefully.

Trusting Grimmchild to behave now that it was clear she posed no threat, Ghost let him go and stepped closer to Myla. Like with Sly and Bretta, their presence prompted her to start speaking to them, rambling mostly nonsense. But… that nonsense didn’t clear up like it was supposed to, if anything it seemed to be getting _worse_.

Was… Ghost too late? Was she too far gone? Was it only a matter of time before she lost what little bit of mind she had left? Was Ghost going to be here to _witness_ that? They’d only talked to her once but… she’d been really nice and her song beautiful if a bit strange. … No! They weren’t going to stand for this.

They put their hands on her shoulders and shook her as hard as they could, rattling her miner’s helm off her head and her pick out of her hands. But when they stopped her eyes still had the orange deep within them. Her rambling had stopped though which wasn’t good enough so… They grabbed her hand and started pulling her away.

Thankfully unresistant she started walking with them, maybe even squeezing their hand a little. Grimmchild followed, still hanging his head and making mildly displeased sounds; sulking because of the interrupted attack. He’d get over it though.

The exit to the surface was thankfully pretty close _but_ the Crossroads were roiling with Infection, making the trip rather dangerous. Not daring to leave Myla’s side, Ghost let Grimmchild handle the enemies that approached. Which improved his mood immensely as Ghost had known it would.

When they finally reached the rope hanging down from the well in Dirtmouth, getting Myla to start ascending was surprisingly easy. All Ghost had to do was put the rope in her hands and she started climbing. They followed a short distance behind her, ready to catch her if she fell.

Ghost and Grimmchild reached the top shortly after she did. They reached to take her hand again to guide her to the bench and Elderbug but before making contact…

“Where am I?” she asked, turning to face Ghost. The orange gleam in her eyes and empty stare was gone! She was free of the Infection! “And uh… where is my pick and miner’s helm?” She glanced all around but of course didn’t find them. Ghost would have to go fetch them for her later even if they wouldn’t be useful to her up here. First, they had to make sure she wasn’t going to go back down though.

They waved to get her attention and gestured for her to follow.

“I suppose you can’t explain, huh?” she said as she started walking with them back towards Dirtmouth. “It has been a while since I’ve been to the surface though, perhaps I could use a break from mining. The air had been getting rather stuffy down there lately anyway.”

Ghost nodded their approval. They were going to fix the Infection somehow but until the it wasn’t safe for normal bugs to wonder through or hang out in Hallownest. Up here on the surface was _much_ safer.

Zote was still babbling endlessly to Bretta just outside Bretta’s house. He didn’t look up as they passed by but Bretta did, eyes locking onto Ghost before shifting to Myla. She didn’t say anything though before turning her attention back to Zote so Ghost continued towards the bench.

“Oh, you’ve made another friend, huh?” Elderbug said as the three of them approached.

Ghost nodded once. Saving Myla from the Infection counted as befriending her, right? Even if it was only their second meeting.

“Who might you be?” Elderbug addressed Myla this time.

“Uh… I’m Myla. I was mining and then… suddenly I was out by the well over there.” She gestured back towards it. “I don’t remember how I got here.”

Satisfied, Ghost turned and left them to chat. Elderbug would explain things and encourage her to stay. Ghost and Grimmchild would go get Myla’s helm and pickaxe for her and then maybe she would sing for them a bit. After that, they’d return to their quest to save Hallownest from the Infection. Or maybe they’d return to the Coliseum of Fools to do the other two trails that they hadn’t been in the mood for last they’d been there. Or maybe they’d explore some other part of Hallownest they hadn’t seen yet. Didn’t matter, they were off on another adventure.


	2. Broken Vessel/Lost Kin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lovely person in the comments of the last chapter pointed out the possibiity of saving Lost Kin too using lifeblood. So I did it because they deserve to be saved too! Cloth is next, followed by Tiso in the Colosseum, and then finally the Godhome stuff that saves Tiso again along with everyone else with the ending.

“I still don’t have stock left,” Sly said as Ghost walked into his store with Grimmchild following as always.

Ghost nodded; they understood that and hadn’t expected anything different after coming in here to inquire about that a few times already. They weren’t here looking for typical ‘stock’ stuff though. So they approached the counter anyway. They then lifted their hands where Sly could easily see them and mimed opening a jar. They had to do it a couple times before Sly seemed to finally get it.

“A jar? You’re looking for a jar?”

Ghost nodded. Any container would do but a jar with a lid would work best to minimize spillage during travel. A big jar would be best too so they put their hands together and expanded them out.

“A big jar? Okay uh… I might have one in the back that I used to store stuff in. Let me go check.” Sly hopped off the step that let him look over the counter and left for the back of the store. He returned a short time later carrying a large glass jar, perfect.

Ghost didn’t even wait for him to speak before pulling out a handful of geo to trade for it. They had more geo than they could possibly ever have a use for so they gave more than a dusty old jar was probably even worth. They then took the jar from him and left.

Thanks to the handy little pins Iselda had sold them, Ghost knew where all the lifeblood cocoons were located. Getting to all of them took a while even with all the Stagways being open but they did it. And by the end, they had a jar filled with shimmering blue lifeblood. Grimmchild seemed very confused about the whole thing – and upset about not being allowed to spit fire at the little lifeblood creatures – but there was no way Ghost could explain their idea to him so he’d just have to wait and see.

Once in the Ancient Basin, it didn’t take long to find the broken vessel again. They’d fought and Ghost had won but the vessel wasn’t completely empty, there was still something there. Similar to when Ghost ‘died’ and needed to reunite vessel and shade, just a bit different. … Maybe anyway. Perhaps Ghost just wanted to believe that because of how awful it was to see a sibling’s vessel taken over by the Infection. But well, they believed it enough to try this. It was worth it if it worked.

If it did though, Ghost should give them a name. Hornet had dubbed them ‘Little Ghost’ and the Hollow Knight was dubbed that by the Pale King himself – the only one of them all to be granted such a thing, more a curse than a blessing though alas – now it was this vessel’s turn to get a name. … Except Ghost had never had to name anything before. How were they even supposed to start coming up good fitting ideas? … They’d just think of them as Lost Kin – they were lost and they were kin, that’s all Ghost really knew about them – until a better name presented itself. … Assuming this worked anyway.

Ghost walked over and sat on the ground next to them, placing the lifeblood filled jar on the ground too. Should they just dump it on them or submerse them in it or… what? Well, the opening in the jar wasn’t big enough to submerse anything important and when Ghost consumed the lifeblood juice, they just splatted it all over themself. So they unscrewed the lid and lifted the jar to pour its thick liquid contents on and into Lost’s mask, the hole in the top caused by the Infection blob being the perfect place to do so.

With a chirp, Grimmchild settled down on the other side of Lost to watch, his eyes locked onto the stream of lifeblood. If he tried to touch it, Ghost would have to push him away; this was all for Lost because they needed it. But thankfully, for once in his short life, he showed restraint and only watched.

Once the jar was about as empty as it could reasonably get without Ghost holding it like this for hours on end, they placed it to the side. Grimmchild immediately crawled over to it and extended his tongue to lick the remnants of the blue liquid clinging to the jar’s lip. He hissed and pulled back, face scrunching up with disgust. Apparently, lifeblood tasted nasty, Ghost never would’ve guessed. They patted him on the head before turning their attention back to Lost.

Lifeblood coated every inch of their mask now, both inside and out. It… didn’t seem to be doing anything though. Maybe Ghost had been wrong? Maybe they were too broken to become whole again? Maybe the Infection had…

Lost moved. A twitch or two at first but then they sat up. their shade had reformed in their vessel! They turned their head, still dripping with lifeblood, towards Ghost, titling it a little; a question?

Ghost nodded and raised a hand in greeting. Lost mimicked them, still obviously confused, but who could blame them for that? They flinched as Grimmchild came in to investigate, putting his face up in theirs which Lost clearly didn’t like based off the way they pulled away. So Ghost grabbed Grimmchild’s tail and lightly tugged him back, earning an annoyed hiss but he didn’t fight and obediently retreated, giving Lost his space again.

Ghost jumped up to their feet and extended a hand, offering to help Lost up. After a second or two of hesitation, they took it and Ghost pulled them up. Once on their feet, they didn’t let go of Ghost’s hand so Ghost didn’t let go either as they started guiding them back towards the Stag Station.

Back up in Dirtmouth, Myla seemed to have found a place for herself, she was chatting with Bretta on the bench – leaving Zote with no one to talk to but he didn’t seem to mind talking to himself so it was fine. Ghost let them all be and brought Lost right to Elderbug. He was the first friend Ghost had made in Hallownest and he was calm so it made sense to introduce him to Lost first. Besides, he was the town’s welcoming person, right? And Lost needed to be welcomed.

“Oh, another friend, huh?” he said once they reached him. “And this one seemingly like you.”

Ghost nodded. They were siblings but alas, Ghost couldn’t think of any way to convey that. Maybe they could try to get Hornet over here sometime to explain that fact, though she probably wouldn’t want to. It wasn’t a big deal though. What mattered most was that Lost was safe now and hopefully would remain so. Ghost would do their best to make sure of it, just like they’d make sure everyone else was safe too no matter what it took.


	3. Cloth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact about Cloth, I literally only saw her once in my playthrough. I never ran into her again and thus forgot all about her existence until after I beat the game and started watching lore videos and came across stuff that mentioned her. So I had to do some proper research for this chapter. It was mostly just watching two youtube vids though; one of her encounters, the other her death.

Ghost had never been to the Queen’s Gardens before but they sensed that they were approaching something important. Which most likely meant a powerful foe would be nearby too because that seemed to be the way of Hallownest. They could be wrong of course, it could just be the arduous journey navigating around and through the thorny overgrowth was putting them a bit on edge. But they’d learned to trust their intuition a long time ago. So they signaled to Grimmchild to be on guard even though it wasn’t really necessary; he was almost always eager and ready for battle, more so than Ghost sometimes.

Their instincts very soon turned out to be true as they rounded a corner to be greeted by the sounds of battle further ahead coming through an opening above them. Ever curious, they dashed forward and quickly made their way over to take a peek.

It was… Cloth! She was fighting a large mantis lord, his eyes clouded over orange with Infection. He was almost twice her size, slashing at her with overly large talons.

Ghost reached for their nail, ready to jump in and help but… stopped. She was holding her own, blocking his attack with her large club. When they’d ran into her earlier, she’d talked about wanting to be a hero, to be brave. They should give her a chance to do that and only jump in if they were needed.

Grimmchild chirped in confusion as Ghost let go of their weapon’s hilt. They raised their hand, lifting a finger in the ‘be quiet’ gesture he only sometimes obeyed. This time, he made a grumpy noise but quieted after that while Ghost settled in to watch.

The fight seemed pretty even so far. Despite how afraid she’d been in Deepnest, Cloth was rather strong, swinging her large club around like it was nothing, whacking her opponent with it and blocking his attacks. She could do this! Ghost was cheering for her. They wanted to see her victory and be the first to congratulate her on it.

But… as the fight went on she started flagging. Her movements slowed and she was forced more and more onto the defensive, the mantis’ talons carving large gouges into her weapon. Infected, he didn’t tire. He reared back, readying to thrust his talon into her. There was _no_ way she could lift her weapon to block it in time.

Drawing their nail, Ghost dashed in, slashing at the mantis’ talon. It connected with a clang, forcing the mantis’ arm to the side. Blood still splashed to the ground as it sliced deep into Cloth’s side but it didn’t impale her as it likely would’ve done.

The large mantis screamed his anger as it slashed at Ghost this time. They lifted their nail just in time to parry. Before they could retaliate, Cloth’s club descended from above, hitting the mantis lord squarely on the head and smashing it with an explosion of blood, Infected fluids, and brain matter, some of which inevitably ended up splashing onto Ghost.

“Ah, sorry about that,” Cloth said panting as they turned to face her. Blood dripped from the wound in her side as she held a hand to it, half curling around it as she pulled her club back in to lean on it for support. “I… suppose I should thank you though. That… could’ve been a lot worse. I… I… killed him though. Do… do you think that was a worthy foe?”

Ghost nodded.

“Hmm… I think so too. I… need to rest now though.” She sat back with a huff, still clutching her side. “That was a… thrilling fight. Go on ahead little friends, I’ll… be here.”

Ghost glanced towards the other exit. Something important was that way but it could wait. Cloth needed help first, she was bleeding pretty badly. What could or should be done about that, Ghost couldn’t know, their body didn’t function like any other bug’s, but they had to do something. Probably fast too. … There was only really one thing they could think to do, hopefully it would work.

The pointed at Grimmchild, now hovering in the corner, and firmly gestured for him to stay with Cloth because they didn’t want her to be left alone. They even pulled off his charm and placed it on the ground next to her to make sure he understood.

“What’s this?” she asked.

Ghost ignored her though, already on their way back out, going as fast as they could. The nearest hot spring was pretty far away but they could move fast when they really tried. This being the Queen’s Gardens meant lots of run ins with prickly thorns but they’d live.

Once they finally reached it, they pulled out their jar. It still contained a small amount of lifeblood when they’d used it to transport lifeblood to Lost, that could only be a good thing. They filled it near to the top with the water, before screwing the lid back on and starting the journey back to Cloth. _Hopefully_ the water would retain its healing properties long enough help her otherwise Ghost wasn’t sure what else they could do.

By the time they reached the room once more, they’d been pricked by so many thorns they were leaking void in several places. They ignored it though as they rushed back into the room.

Cloth was sagging back against the wall now but she was still breathing, steadily too. Grimmchild had settled on her middle, her hand not clutching her side rested on him, lightly petting him. They both looked up as Ghost dashed over to them.

“Oh dear, you’re covered in thorns,” she said even though she should be more concerned for herself.

Ghost pulled out the jar and unscrewed the lid. They gestured for Grimmchild to move before pouring half its contents onto her wound directly. She gasped and flinched a little, though it seemed to be more from surprise than pain.

Before she could say anything, they shoved the now half full jar into her hands. They then mimed drinking from a container as big as the jar.

“You… want me to drink it?” Her voice sounded a bit stronger already.

Ghost nodded. When injured, they’d always found submerging their mask into the hot spring water, letting it leak into their eyes and thus drinking it, helped them heal faster. Hopefully it would work the same way with normal bugs too. It was the only thing they could think to do.

Cloth hesitated but lifted it to her mouth and downed the rest of its contents. “It’s hot spring water,” she said as she handed the jar back a few seconds later. “Thank you.”

Ghost nodded again as they slipped the jar back into their cloak. They then turned their gaze back onto Cloth’s wound. … It was closing up, not completely but enough that it wasn’t oozing nearly as much blood and thus was not as dangerous. The hot spring water worked! Ghost did a little clap to show they were pleased with this.

Cloth laughed slightly as she reached a hand to pat their head. “You’re an amazing little guy, you know? Your friend too.” She looked up at Grimmchild who mewed happily in response. “Thank you for helping me out again. Next battle I should be okay on my own though.”

Bereft of speech, Ghost could only nod again. They wanted to stay and converse with her some more but crisis averted, they and Grimmchild had an adventure to get back to. Something important waited for them deeper in the Queen’s gardens. This time, thanks to Cloth, they didn’t even need to fight a powerful foe to get to it.


	4. Tiso

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I've really taken to this fic because I wrote this chapter real fast, in a single writing session (the same night I uploaded last chapter) despite it being the longest chapter so far. I also already started the next chapter.

Someone else was currently doing a Trail which meant Ghost and Grimmchild had to wait. Frustrating but that was the way of things, the world didn’t revolve around them after all. So, they’d watched for a change, see what it was like from the bleachers. It might even be fun.

Except when they got to the bleachers, they couldn’t see anything. Everyone was so much taller than them and blocked the view; being small though advantageous at times was still annoying. Grimmchild was lucky, he could fly thus didn’t have to worry about that kind of thing. Ghost had to push and sidle their way up to the front. People grumbled as they pushed past but otherwise didn’t pay them any mind and thus they got through pretty easily.

The challenger turned out to be Tiso! In hindsight that wasn’t all that surprising, last time Ghost had saw him, he’d been in the rest room down below preparing for the Trials. But it was still nice to see him again and Ghost would get to watch him be victorious and silently cheer him on along the way. They didn’t mind waiting for their own turn after all.

After only a few minutes of watching, it became clear that Tiso wasn’t as skilled at combat as his demeaner and words had led Ghost to believe. Not that he was bad, he was still holding his own against the myriad weaker enemies but he’d have to be _very_ careful if were to face anyone truly skilled in combat. Which didn’t seem like it was going to be the case here until…

“It’s almost time for the God Tamer,” one of the people near Ghost murmured. “She’s going to wreck him,” another answered in reply with an excited snicker. Well, that sounded ominous. Hopefully Tiso would be okay.

The God Tamer turned out be an armored ant with a large steed. She looked formidable; Ghost would’ve been thrilled at the prospect of battling her. But they were a bit nervous for Tiso. It would _probably_ be fine though, he wasn’t helpless and he had a shield, he could still come out victorious.

Tiso didn’t even get a chance to swing his sword at either foe before the steed rolled up into a ball and rolled _right_ over him, crushing him. Ghost flinched in sympathy, that _had_ to hurt. There was no way it was enough to kill him though but it did seem to have knocked him unconscious because he wasn’t getting back up. A bummer, he’d lost. Hopefully the Colosseum had a doctor on standby to help him get…

The God Tamer strode over to him. She studied him for a couple seconds, tapping his arm with her foot before raising her sword as if she were going to stab it down into him.

Ghost vaulted over the railing, firing off a vengeful spirit when he was on level with her. It hit her at the same time their feet touched the ground, knocking her back.

“What?” she said, incredulous as she looked up at them.

Ghost dashed forward to stand beside Tiso’s unconscious body. Grimmchild caught up a second later to hiss at the God Tamer.

“Little one,” she said, her voice menacing as it echoed inside her helm, “What do you think you’re doing?”

It was wrong to kill people who were unconscious. And it was unnecessary because Tiso had already lost, there was no need to make it so final. _And_ he was Ghost’s friend so Ghost wasn’t going to just sit there and watch someone kill him in cold blood. They couldn’t say any of that though so instead they pointed at Tiso and then themself before drawing their nail. They didn’t want to fight, they’d prefer to tend to Tiso’s injuries first, but they would if they had to.

“Kill that one too,” someone in the crowed behind them shouted followed by a roar of approval. “Kill all three of the bastards!” “Yeah! A three for one!”

“Well, I’m not opposed to it so…” the God Tamer readied her sword again, “sic ‘em boy,” she said as she lunged at Ghost.

They stepped forward to meet her, parrying her with ease. The beast behind her was rearing back, readying to attack. Not knowing what was coming, Ghost normally would’ve just jumped or dashed out of the way but they couldn’t exactly do that when they needed to make sure Tiso wouldn’t get hit again too. Dammit! They need to end this fight fast.

They dashed forward instead, their shade cloak allowing them to pass through the God Tamer, hopefully putting her off balance, and into the face of beast. Which resulted in them getting a face full of acid spit mixed with Infected fluid. It hurt like hell but they ignored it as they stabbed their nail into the beast’s mouth, up into the roof as far as Ghost could force it. Which with a pure nail and Ghost’s force of will was rather far. It shrieked and thrashed. If their nail wasn’t dug in so deep, Ghost would’ve been flung away. They clung to it though even as blood and more Infected acid spit covered them. One well time descending dark was enough to end its struggles.

With no time to rest, Ghost ripped their nail out of its mouth as they straightened to snap back towards the God Tamer. They were going to launch back at her, ready to slice her to bits if they had to but… she’d dropped her weapon.

“No!” she rushed over to her now dead steed, its head partially caved in as blood and Infected acid spit mixed together as it leaked out of its mouth. Ghost stepped aside to let her. Even bad people sometimes had loved ones, they weren’t going to get in the way of that.

“What the fuck?” Tiso had woken up and rolled half onto his side to support himself with his elbow as he sat up a bit to watch what was going on.

Still ignoring the pain, Ghost dashed over to give him a wave. He looked like he was hurting a lot but otherwise seemed okay, meaning he’d live.

Tiso look at them and then presumably at dead beast and God Tamer behind them, squinting angrily. “I… I… didn’t need you help. I was gonna… I don’t know. But you didn’t need to come in and save me.”

Grimmchild hissed at him. Ghost though, bent down to pat Tiso’s head. It was okay to need help sometimes, Tiso just hadn’t learned that yet. Before Tiso could respond…

“How _dare_ you!” The God Tamer was pissed, rightfully so too. Ghost felt a bit bad but there was nothing else they could’ve done, they’d _had_ to kill the beast as fast a possible before decided to roll of Tiso again.

So they straightened and snapped around to dash towards the God Tamer who’d retrieved her weapon. With a strong slash, they knocked it out of her hands, flinging some of blood coating their nail onto her in the process. She flinched and backed up before kneeling in defeat. Good, that meant Ghost wouldn’t have to kill her.

They put their nail back on their back. Not actually a smart idea, it was covered in blood that was now coating the back of their cloak too but they didn’t have time to clean it yet, they had stuff to do. Then returned to Tiso’s side.

“What are you doing? Kill her!” someone in the crowed called followed by a roar of approval and more calls for bloodshed. Oh how fickle their alliances were. They just wanted to see someone die. They were doomed to be disappointed today though.

So ignoring them, Ghost extended a hand to Tiso, offering to help him stand because carrying him wasn’t an option. He stared at it for a few seconds before accepting it, looking away as he did so.

Once standing, he had trouble staying upright and ended up grasping onto one of Ghost’s horns for support. It was uncomfortable but it was enough to help him limp out of the arena.

Luckily, there was a healing hot spring in the resting area. With Tiso’s injuries, getting there took a while and he was stubbornly silent the whole time – sulking like Grimmchild liked to do when he was denied mischief – but they got there eventually. They were the only ones there now too, how fortunate.

Grimmchild dived in first despite being totally uninjured, splashing them both. Tiso grumbled as Ghost helped him in before finally sliding in themself.

It was _amazing_ as always. Ghost submerged themself completely, letting the healing water seep into their eyes, allowing them to essentially drink it. The cracks and damage in their shell healed up almost immediately as their body filled back up with soul as well. The water around them clouded with blood and other substances for a few seconds before clearing up.

Still without surfacing, they pulled their nail around and gave it a good scrubbing with the cloth of their cloak to make sure all the blood washed off. They were tempted to sharpen it too out of habit but all the pale ore the blacksmith had packed into it made it so it kept its edge for _much_ longer. So instead after admiring its keen edge and clean look, they put it away and finally lifted their head out of the water.

Tiso was watching them with his arms crossed as he leaned back, obviously also enjoying the water. “Why did you save me?”

Ghost lifted their hands to make a heart shape with their fingers. Tiso was their friend.

“What does that _mean_?”

Grimmchild chirped angrily, offended on Ghost’s behalf at Tiso’s annoyed tone. Which wasn’t necessary. They reached behind them to give him a quick head pat before answering Tiso’s question by reaching up and patting him on the head too. Surely, he’d understand that gesture, right?

Tiso pulled away though as if offended by Ghost’s touch. “Aren’t you supposed to be like… empty or something?” Did he mean hollow?

Ghost nodded because they were _supposed_ to be hollow but they weren’t so they shook their head too. They tapped their forehead and pulled their hand away, fluttering their fingers. They had thoughts and feelings.

“Hmmm… okay, I guess. That still doesn’t explain why you helped me though. I’ve never done anything for you.”

Ghost would’ve sighed if they could. So instead, they drew their nail and carved the word ‘friend’ into the tile beside the pool. They then pointed at Tiso.

He stared at if for several seconds before finally speaking. “What? I’m not… we’re not… Why would you even think that?”

They patted him on the shoulder. If he didn’t understand that was fine, what was important was that he survived. Hopefully he wouldn’t get into any more dangerous situations though because Ghost couldn’t always be there to protect him. They had an important quest they’d have to get back to soon, they’d put it off too long as it was.


	5. Tiso Again (Godhome Part One)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to split this chapter into 2 because it was stupidly long and there was already a good cut point near the midpoint anyway so I decided to save myself from having to edit 6k+ words in a single sitting. Part Two will be up tomorrow night.

The Dreamer Lurien floated there in the middle of the Dreamscape. He… wasn’t going to fight? He was going to just sit there and _let_ Ghost kill him? After what he and the other Dreamers had done to try to stop Ghost from doing this, he was now going to just let it happen?

Ghost went closer, drawing their nail to point at him. But even when they stood right before him, nail centimeters away from poking him, he still didn’t make any move to defend himself. So they charmed their Dreamnail and hit him with that instead.

 **“** … For King beloved… To sleep. To serve… Bonds must remain… Remain…” He clearly wasn’t even fully _here_ ; he’d been asleep too long.

Killing someone who couldn’t even chose to try to fight back of defend themself was wrong. Even Grimmchild, as ever eager for violence as he was, seemed to know that as he hovered by Ghost’s shoulder chirping confusedly instead of spitting fire.

But… Ghost needed access into the Black Egg so they could kill the Radiance in the Hollow Knight’s mind to save them as well as save everyone else from the Infection. And to do that, the Seals needed to be broken. Waking the Dreamers wasn’t an option, Ghost had tried that upon entering the spire to no avail, so death was the _only_ option. Better they die after already sacrificing themselves to this cause than Hollow remain trapped and the Infection allowed to continue.

So, they drew back their nail, ready to strike. … They… couldn’t bring themself to swing it though. Killing people in cold blood was wrong even if done for good reasons.

Stepping back and sheathing their nail on their back, Ghost would’ve sighed if they could. They would just have to try their best to find another way to either get into the Black Egg or gain access to the Radiance through different means even if it did seem impossible. They were going to try to save _everyone_ , including the Dreamers no matter what it took. … Hopefully there was a way.

Up in Dirtmouth, Zote was still talking to himself on one side of town while Cloth, Bretta, and Myla, chatted amongst themselves on the other side. Sitting on the bench in the middle next to Elderbug and Lost, with Grimmchild resting at their feet, Ghost could hear both conversations pretty clearly and it made it hard to think. Though, given the problem they were trying to solve, they’d have trouble coming up with a good answer regardless.

There had to be a way though, right? Maybe they could try to burrow underneath the Black Egg somehow? Or break through one of its sides? Hmmm… They started rummaging through their pockets, searching for _anything_ that might help or give them a good idea.

They had a lot of stuff, more than they’d thought, it was mostly charms though, some more useful than others, and interesting junk picked up along the way that they hadn’t had a chance to sell to Lemm yet or didn’t want to. One thing though stood out when they pulled it out. It was similar in size to the charms and could’ve easily been mistaken for one if they’d been paying even slightly less attention. It was the gold thing they’d found next to the bug they’d freed from the coffin in the Junk Pit.

They’d forgotten about that and about the Dream Realm they’d entered when Dreamnailing her. Ghost had poked around the place a bit but hadn’t stayed long. But they’d learned the place was called Godhome and the Godseekers were all about seeking gods and communing with them via combat or… something along those lines. They hadn’t been paying the most attention in the world because the Godseekers were rather rude and they didn’t like that.

But the Radiance was a god, probably the most influential one in all of Hallownest. _And_ Godhome was in the Dream Realm so perhaps it would be possible to access her through that and kill her there instead. It was worth a try anyway and the only thing even remotely plausible that Ghost could think of.

In Godhome, the Godseekers still saw Ghost as nothing. They recognized Grimmchild as the Nightmare King despite still being little more than a hatchling. But nope, not Ghost; despite everything they’d accomplished, all the power they’d gained both in Hallownest and during their wonderings outside of it, they were worthless; a ‘cringer’. Well, they were going to prove that notion _wrong_. They were something and they were going to save the world… or well, Hallownest at least. Possibly the world too because theoretically the Radiance could extend her influence outside of Hallownest to other kingdoms, right?

The place split up into what the Godseekers called Pantheons. To gain access to what looked to be the final one behind a metal gate, Ghost had to best the first three beforehand. That shouldn’t be too hard, they could easily defeat a few Dream foes, especially with Grimmchild at their side. They went straight for the first one because it was logical to expect it to be the easiest and therefore done the quickest.

And… they were right, it was easy; Ghost barely suffered a scratch. At the top though was… Oro!? They hadn’t seen him in ages. Their fault really for not visiting as often as they should.

They ran over to say their version of ‘hi’; a simple hand wave. They didn’t get a ‘hi’ back though. Instead Oro pulled out his nail roared a mighty battle cry. Right, this wasn’t fully him, just a Dream version of him summoned by the Godseekers. Like the foes Ghost had vanquished to get to him, he was bound by the rules of Godhome and that meant combat was eminent.

Ghost was ready though, easily dodging his first attack and retaliating with their own. He was good with his nail… but Ghost was _so_ much better. Victory was assured. …. Until Mato joined the fray anyway. It was nice to see him again too but he made it a bit harder. Ultimately though, Ghost triumphed.

Grimmchild chirped with joy as Ghost, leaking a bit of void, bowed to the brothers as they bowed to them; it had been a good fight. They held that position until the Godseekers’ light filled the room, fading to reveal them outside the first Pantheon’s door once more. There was now a symbol above it, signifying that it was complete. After a short rest, Ghost would move onto the next one.

The second Pantheon was a bit harder but not by much. Sheo was at the top this time. True to his nature, he no longer wielded a nail, even in the Dream Realm, but a paintbrush instead. An interesting weapon that was surprisingly effective. He didn’t stand a chance against Ghost though. They would have to visit him and the nail smith later too when they got the chance.

The third Pantheon was even more difficult. Ghost barely made it to the top and when they did, they were met by Sly, unsurprising. The battle was over in seconds as Sly took them by surprise with a heavy nail right between the eyes, breaking their already damaged shell.

Ghost was sent back to the Pantheon’s door, lying face down on the ground. On the bright side, being in the Dream Realm meant they didn’t need to worry about reuniting with their shade after dying. That didn’t make it hurt any less though. But it wasn’t the first time they’d died, nor was it likely to be the last, so they got back up and went right for round two.

On the fifth attempt, they came out victorious at last. A great feeling. Honestly, Ghost was having fun. The thrill of a good battle was irresistible.

After resting a bit more on the bench in the middle – they would’ve slept just for the sake of it despite not feeling sleepy but it was impossible in the Dream Realm – it was time for the final Pantheon. The Radiance _had_ to be at the top… right? They were about to find out.

The climb up was the most difficult of them all, as predicted. But after everything else they’d been through up until now, Ghost was more than capable of handling it.

At the top was a dark room. Which didn’t seem right at all, wasn’t the Radiance supposed to be… _radiant_? So shouldn’t her room be bright? Even more concerning though as the tall figure standing with their back to Ghost wearing a long silver cape, no way that could be her, could it?

They threw aside their cape and spun to face Ghost, letting out a voiceless battle cry. The Hollow Knight!? They were much taller than when Ghost had last seen them and their horns more prominent with an extra point but there was _no_ doubt it was still them. But… they weren’t cracked, seemingly not even a little. This was them _before_ they’d taken on the Radiance, probably _just_ before considering their…

They charged. Ghost couldn’t lift their nail in time to parry and ended up impaled through the chest by Hollow’s longer nail. Void gushed out of the wound as Hollow yanked it back. Ghost couldn’t recover as Hollow swung again, slashing Ghost’s shell in half.

Suddenly on the ground outside the door to the Pantheon, Ghost didn’t get up right away. Instead they lay there waiting for the shock of pain and surprise of seeing Hollow there to fade. What kind of sick freaks were the Godseekers to pull up this pure image of the Hollow Knight? Didn’t they know about the _real_ Hollow Knight’s plight? Broken by the Radiance, chained within the Black Egg by their very own father in a doomed and useless attempt to save a dying kingdom from a stupid feud the _Pale King_ had started. And the Godseekers had the gall to show Ghost _this_ version of them?

Grimmchild chirped above them, his tone worried. Ghost didn’t move though. They couldn’t recall a time when they’d been this mad and distraught before. Maybe they were overreacting. It wasn’t really Hollow, just the Godseekers’ idea of them when they’d been in their prime _before_ taking on the Radiance. But it just felt so… disrespectful to revere the memory of what the Hollow Knight used to be when they were currently suffering because of what they’d been. If they hadn’t been deemed ‘pure’ and ‘truly hollow’ they never would’ve ended up where they were now.

With a louder chirp, Grimmchild settled down on the ground beside them. Turning their head to look at him, they lifted a hand to pet him on the head on the spot he liked. He nuzzled into it, making happy sounds for a few seconds before lifting off the ground with a flap of his wings. He then grabbed Ghost by the back of their cloak with his mouth and yanked them up too, forcing them back onto their feet. Wow, Ghost wasn’t particularly heavy but Grimmchild was still stronger than they’d thought.

He was right though. Ghost couldn’t just lay there feeling bad about what the Godseekers were doing. They were going to do something about it. They’d defeat this Pantheon and then _hopefully_ the Radiance would be on the other side.

The Hollow Knight was the strongest foe Ghost had faced yet. They were still angry about this long-gone image of their sibling being viewed as a god but… their battles against each other were fantastic. They were thrilling and glorious and… a way to get to know Hollow a bit better, not as much as they would like but it was more than they’d had before. Which, as was always the way with such things, only made them want more. Hopefully, after all this was done, that desire would be attainable.

Ghost ascended and was forced back down from the top of the Pantheon many times, they stopped counting after ten. They’d almost felled Hollow a number of times but always hesitated to deliver the final blow, not wanting to hurt their sibling for real even if it wasn’t _really_ them. I was just a fraction of second but that was long enough for Hollow to defeat them instead. But with each battle Ghost adapted just a bit more and got just a bit better until finally…

Following a shadow dash through Hollow’s thrown daggers, Ghost slashed into Hollow’s abdomen, already leaking a substantial amount of void. Their shell would’ve broken, releasing their shade if this was in the real world. But it was wasn’t. Instead they collapsed forward.

It was an odd time for it but a memory of Hollow, forgotten due to leaving Hallownest’s bubble, returned to them. Before the void had proved too much for many of their sibling’s shells to contain, before the Pale King had summoned them all in search of his ‘pure’ vessel, they’d heard the cry of the Radiance. The void in them and in their siblings and all around them hadn’t liked it, answering with a mindless roar of its own. The Radiance’s light was abhorrent to the void’s darkness, one could even say they were opposing forces.

This memory had to mean Ghost was on the right track though as outside the fourth Pantheon’s door once more, they sensed something unlock above. There was more here than just the four Pantheons. The Radiance was here and she would be at the highest point in Godhome. Ghost was going to go up there and kill her.

It very quickly became apparent that Ghost would have to fight every single foe strong enough for the Godseekers to deem as a god that they’d ever come across before they could battle the Radiance. Which wasn’t surprising given how the other Pantheons had gone. It might’ve been an exciting prospect except for the fact that there was no joy in defeating the weak foes at the bottom. It was almost monotonous, they barely had to even try.

That monotony was broken all at once with the sudden appearance of Tiso upon ascending to a new level. He let out a battle cry of course because that’s how this place worked. But it was still great to see a friend even if…

A large shape moved off to side, leaping high into the air and towards them. More like towards Tiso who _wasn’t_ _paying attention_. Ghost dashed forward and shoved him as hard as they could, knocking him back – his stance had been unsteady too, seriously who taught this guy to fight? The large thing that Ghost was now sure was the Brooding Mawlek landed a second later, crushing Ghost because there was no way they could’ve gotten out of the way in time. Their shell shattered with a thankfully brief but intense flash of pain.

“What the fuck was that?” Good, Tiso had been knocked to the bottom of the Pantheon with Ghost the same Grimmchild always was. Though that also meant for sure that he wasn’t here by the Godseekers’ summons.

Ghost pushed themself back up to their feet to look up at him. Never before had they wanted to speak more than now both to scold him for not paying attention and almost dying _again_ and to ask him why and how he was here. Nothing about this made sense.

Tiso flinched. “Didn’t you just die? We were going to duel at last and then…” he made a vague confused gesture. “And now we’re here.”

Ghost nodded. They then pointed at him and gestured all around before tilting their head; the closet they could get to asking a question. He didn’t seem to understand though.

“If you died then _how_ are you here? Also… did you really just die pushing me out of the way of whatever that thing was? I had it handled, I was going to take it down all on my own. I didn’t need your help again.”

He was kind of an idiot, wasn’t he? That was okay though, not everyone could be smart and Ghost didn’t see him as any less of a friend. But regardless of that or how he’d gotten here, he didn’t need to be here. This wasn’t a place for normal bugs. How to get him out though? … Well there was always the exit, if they could get him to follow.

Ghost pointed to Grimmchild and then to Tiso then themself before gesturing in the general direction of the exit. Tiso might not want to come with them and in that case, Ghost was going to need Grimmchild’s help to get Tiso out of here because reasoning with him would take too long with Ghost’s inability to speak. Grimmchild nodded and chirped an affirmative, seemingly understanding the request.

“What are you gesturing about?” Tiso asked.

Ignoring him, Ghost took his hand and started pulling him towards the exit. He resisted of course but before he got a chance to voice a compliant, Grimmchild spat fire at his feet making him jump before swooping around to push him in the direction Ghost wanted him to go, hissing all the while.

“Okay, okay, fine, I’m moving. You’re lucky you’re a baby though otherwise I wouldn’t hesitate to swat you out of the air, fire or no fire,” he said instead. Grimmchild responded with a huff. “Where are we going that’s so important anyway? Though… I guess neither of you can answer so never mind.” Good, he was learning.

When they finally reached the exit, Ghost stopped and let go of Tiso’s hand. Before he could ask what was up, they went around behind him and pushed him onto it; they didn’t want to leave themself until the Radiance was dead. He vanished immediately and Ghost Grimmchild turned away to head back to their quest.

***

Tiso’s eyes opened to the sight of a large pile of junk. That had been a rather strange dream. Why would he even dream about the pale wanderer and their moth baby saving him _again_. but it had felt so real, if he hadn’t just woken up from it, he might’ve mistaken it as something that actually happened.

With a groan, he sat up, rubbing the ache on his head and reaching to grab his shield where it lay beside him. The last thing he remembered was getting lost while exploring a passage they'd found underneath where the nailsmith used to be and then coming upon a large open space. Interested, he’d explored a bit before slipping on a wet bit of rock and plummeting to what he’d been sure would be his death. But getting knocked unconscious and have a strange lucid dream aside, he seemed to be mostly unscathed, lucky him.

He stood up and… froze as he turned around. There was a large golden bug right next to him. Her sheer size was intimidating, making him instinctively take a step back. She wasn’t paying him any mind though, instead her gaze was focused what lay at her feet; the pale wanderer and their fire moth baby.

They both seemed to be asleep, cuddled up together with the moth baby’s wing draped over the wanderer’s body like a blanket. It was… actually really cute, though Tiso would _never_ say so out loud, he had an image to maintain. But under the gaze of a stranger and in the middle of what looked to be a junk pit was no place to sleep. He should go wake them up, they were supposedly his ‘friends’ after all. And the wanderer had saved his life twice… no once, the second time was in a dream and thus didn’t count no matter how real the dream had felt. So just once and that meant Tiso owed them at least one favor.

Trusting the strange golden bug to continue to pay him no mind, Tiso approached and crouched down beside his ‘friends’. He lay a hand on the moth baby’s back – it was _far_ warmer than any bug he’d ever touched before, not that he’d touched many but still enough to know this was strange, though it probably had something to do with the whole fire thing – and gave it a small shake.

No response. So, he shook a bit harder, enough to jostle the pale wanderer as well. Neither of them stirred.

“They can’t be woken. Leave them.”

Tiso jumped back up to his feet. The golden bug hadn’t moved though, she wasn’t even looking at him. “What do you mean? Did you do something to them?” If she had, he was going to have to kill her. That way he’d pay back the debt he owed the wanderer in full, either through saving their life or avenging their death. The former would be best of course because then the wanderer would know of it.

“No.” The golden bug _still_ refused to look at him. “We are not seeking to harm them. We told them to leave but they insisted on staying. You however, thine intrusion upon our Dream was most unwelcome, _leave_.”

Tiso opened his mouth to make an angry retort but… paused. It may just be a dumb feeling but he got the sense that there was something going on with her and just here in general that he’d rather not have anything to do with. So he should just count his blessings and get out of here while he still could. And while no one else was around to witness his retreat.

He glanced at the pale wanderer and their moth baby again. They apparently wanted to stay and their actions in the dream had indicated that as well. Not that that was much to go by because it was a dream and thus couldn’t be real… could it? … If it was then Tiso _definitely_ didn’t want anything to do with this whole situation because supernatural shit was _not_ his thing.

So… without further word, he turned and left, heading toward the wall that looked like he might be able to use to climb up and out. He was going to pretend this whole thing, starting with slipping and falling, never happened. Heck, it might be time to just bail out of Hallownest completely and pretend he’d never visited because this whole place was proving more and more to be an absolute disaster. Surely he could find better glory and success in a kingdom _not_ filled with insane people and lifeless husks wandering around attacking everyone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this scenario, Tiso would've been totally fine if the Brooding Mawlek had crushed him, he'd have just woken up and been like 'WTF was that?'. Ghost wasn't thinking about that though, they just saw their friend being stupid again and felt the need to save him.
> 
> Also, I headcanon that in this scenario, when Tiso fell, he fell on top of the Godseeker and that's how he ended up in Godhome. landing him in the arena above where Ghost was at the time. When Ghost appeared a short time later I guess he was like 'we're in a arena and there's an audience so I guess it's time to duel'.
> 
> I don't know if the scenario as a whole even makes sense but it doesn't have to. The point is I planned from the start to have him saved from being crushed by the Brooding Mawlek so that's what happens. He should be grateful to be spared that humiliation even if it wouldn't have been fatal.


	6. The Dreamers and the Hollow Knight (Godhome Part Two)

Going by the Godseekers’ standards – whatever those might be because there were certainly a few interesting foes that apparently met them – there were a lot of gods in Hallownest. Which made the climb to the Radiance rather long. The occasional rest area along the way made it a bit better though.

It was clear they were nearing the top though when upon ascending to the next level, Ghost found themself facing Nightmare King Grimm. The most powerful foe they’d faced before coming here and facing the pure image of the Hollow Knight. Grimmchild left the arena of course like he did when Ghost fought the image of the Troupe Master. It would’ve been unfair to ask or expect him to stay, it was kind of his dad and kind of him that Ghost was fighting after all. It was actually a bit of a complicated situation, wasn’t it? But it didn’t matter, the battle was brilliant, almost a dance. Ghost’s familiarity with it – it had taken them more than a few tries to complete the ritual – as well as their improved skilled made it go much cleaner than the real fight had, resulting in a relatively quick victory.

Following that was another rest area with a hot spring. Very welcome even if they weren’t terribly injured. They stayed for a while, readying for the task ahead. The Radiance was _so close_. Would they be able to kill her on their first attempt? Hopefully but probably not, they would give it their best shot though.

When they finally moved on it was into a room with that resembled the White Palace. Listening to the Godseeker confirmed that it was meant to be the Pale King’s room if she’d been able to attune with him. It was a shame she hadn’t, Ghost would’ve enjoyed the chance to slice up even just an image of the Pale King. With no desire to dawdle in such a place, they gestured to Grimmchild to leave the covered furniture alone and quickly moved on.

On the other side was the pure image of the Hollow Knight once more as Ghost had expected. They were ready for them this time though. The battle wasn’t as clean as they would’ve liked but they still came out the other side victorious.

As the Hollow Knight fell, collapsing onto their hands and knees before Ghost, a loud cry came from a above. Yes! The Radiance at last! Ghost had finally cornered her and now it was time to make her _pay_.

Her arena atop the Pantheon was _bright_. It made the void making up Ghost’s soul boil with rage; she was the ancient enemy of the void, their very natures opposed to each other. Ghost didn’t care about that though, it meant nothing to them. What _mattered_ was the harm she was inflicting upon everyone, many of them people Ghost cared about. So forget the old feud, it might as well not exist as far as they were concerned, they had their own feud to settle with her.

They drew their nail, ready to lift it in challenge. But before they could, the sun off in the distance changed shape as if spreading out a pair of wings. And then suddenly there she was in all her glory, many times larger than Ghost and loosing a battle cry loud enough to pierce the heavens around them. Ghost was unintimidated.

They launched into battle, trusting Grimmchild to keep up with them. But after only getting in a few slashes, they had to move to shadow dash through a wall of light. It was followed almost immediately by another attack and another and another. Her attacks were relentless and fast. Overwhelmed, it wasn’t long before Ghost ended up impaled by a beam of light that burst their shell.

Suddenly all the way back at the bottom of the Pantheon again, Ghost would’ve let out an abyssal shriek of frustration if they had the soul for it. They’d climbed so high and had finally reached their goal only to be knocked back down mere minutes into the fight. But… that was to be expected, she was a powerful foe. They couldn’t die though as long as they had the will to keep going, and thus they’d best her eventually no matter _how_ long it took, no matter how many times they were knocked back down to the beginning.

They didn’t bother counting their attempts. As soon as the Radiance broke their shell again, they either got right back up to try again or they lay there and rested with Grimmchild for a while. They always made it to her though and they always lasted a little longer each time so it was only a matter of time before they won.

At one point they considered letting Grimmchild rest, possibly even taking him all the way out of Godhome if that’s what he wanted. This wasn’t his fight after all and even if he wasn’t taking as much damage as Ghost, there were still times he got hit and hurt, he deserved better than to be spending his time like that. But when Ghost tried to leave his charm on the bench in the middle of Godhome, he answered with a confused chirp followed by a refusal to leave Ghost’s side, charm or no charm. He apparently actively wanted to stay and help so… Ghost let him, it was his choice and the assistance and company were very welcome.

With their lives being basically reduced to endless battling with only short periods of rest, they grew stronger than ever. Time had even less meaning in the Dream Realm than Hallownest itself but Grimmchild was still very young, meaning he was still growing albeit probably slower than he otherwise would. As he got bigger, his fireballs got bigger and stronger as well, an asset for sure even if it wasn’t much of one. But still, despite having never raised a child before, Ghost seemed to be doing a pretty good job. They were proud of him and happy to see him grow.

It took a _long_ time and countless assents – how many Ghost would rather not consider – but Ghost _finally_ had the Radiant cornered. They’d chased her all the way to the tippy-top of her arena, dodging desperately thrown light beams all the way up. Now they could _feel_ her desperation in her frantic movements and erratic attacks, reduced to just balls of light due to her weakness.

She was _not_ getting away this time. Ghost had more than _earned_ their victory. The void in them seemed to surge with more eagerness and power with each nail slash into her already sliced up fur, bleeding essence. Not only were they going to kill her they were going to _obliterate her_! _Make sure no trace her or her foul Infection remained anywhere! Not never speck of blood or strand of fur would be left when they were done with her!_

With one more nail slash right between her eyes, the power building in them burst forth, wrecking their shell. Suddenly the Radiance was so much smaller; weak, pathetic, puny. They grabbed her and _ripped_ her face open to gleefully tear into her core, shredding it to bits. She let out one final pain-filled cry of angry desperation that cut off to nothing.

***

The Radiant’s death cry ripped through the Dream Realm, jerking Lurien out of a sleep he was never meant to wake from. With her dead, there was no more use for the Seals and thus… they broke. Which made sense but still, not something he’d have ever expected to happen.

Shaking, he sat up and looked around. Everything was covered in dust; no one had been in here in ages. Except for the vessel and its companion. Its footprints though small were distinct in the dust leading to Lurien’s alter. There was even the spot where it had lain down upon entering his mind. It hadn’t killed him though, just pointed its sword at him and left; a vague memory to him now, like a long gone dream. And now… the Radiance was dead, _somehow_. Did the vessel have something to do with that?

Unsure what else to do, he stood and walked over to his telescope. There wasn’t much that could be seen through it though alas; the lights in the city had dimmed and the rain from above had increased. It did confirm that a _lot_ of time had passed, enough that this world was essentially not the same as the one Lurien had known. So… what now? He’d never expected to wake up and upon the entry of the vessel he’s expected to be killed, but here he was. So what did he do now?

***

The longer Quirrel stayed the Teacher’s Archives, the more memories returned to him. Some were better than others but they were all fascinating in their own way. But even the happy memories were tinged with sadness because all the other people in them were either dead or in the case of Monomon, as good as. And yet he continued to seek out knowledge and more memories anyway. What else was there to do when he was waiting for his little wondering friend to show up?

They were a failed vessel returned to… Quirrel didn’t quite remember that part yet. It was related to the Infection that was ravaging through Hallownest though and it was a good cause; Monomon approved of it, hence his own return. But it meant they had to kill her, she was a Seal. After all the memories he’d regained of the time he’d spent with her as a friend, colleague, and student, Quirrel didn’t want to see that but… he owed it to her to be with her during her final moments, right?

He’d already released the mask’s seal on her. He’d tried waiting for the wanderer – even knowing what they were, he couldn’t help but think of them as such especially since ‘the vessel’ sounded too impersonal – sensing that he should but he’d grown impatient with how long they were taking so he’d gone ahead and done it on his own because he’d wanted to see her face again.

He looked up at it as he reentered the room again after making another circuit through the archives. “Good evening Monomon,” he said with smile even though she could never reply and probably couldn’t even hear him. He did it every time he entered the room though out of a long-gone habit as well as a desire to talk to someone.

“Oh! Good evening Quirrel, it’s nice to see you again.”

Quirrel froze, half turned away. “Uh…” he looked back up at her, “you’re awake?”

“Yes. I did not think it was possible either but here we are. The Radiance is dead, obliterated completely, nothing left. The balance of power in Hallownest has vastly shifted, I am eager to see what will happen next. But with her gone, what further need be there for the Seals?”

“Well uh… you got a point.” If Quirrel had to guess he’d say this had something to do with his wandering friend and the reason they’d never shown up to break the Seal. He was going to have to thank them later if he ever got the chance. For now though, he still had some gaps in his memory to fill as well as a chance to catch up with a long lost friend.

***

Ghost was taking a _long_ time. Hornet had known they enjoyed wondering but this was just ridiculous. They’d have to have seen all of Hallownest three times over by now at _least_. What more could there be left for them to do out there? Why couldn’t they come along and just _finally_ get it over with?

Hornet was _tired_ of sitting here, waiting for them to come in and end her mother’s life. It… had to be done to break the Seals and Herra was essentially already dead anyway, she wasn’t meant to ever wake up. But waiting for it to finally become official was _torture_. So Ghost needed to _hurry up_ already.

With an annoyed sigh, she collected her needle and left her hiding spot to start for the exit. She was at least going to go find out where they were and what was taking them so long. And then…

The sound was distant, barely heard and seemed to come from somewhere that wasn’t physical but Hornet heard it anyway. What was that? It… couldn’t have been real, could it? … It was probably just her imagination. She was tired and her mind was playing tricks on her, even her dreams were restless, filled with her battles with Ghost except they were stronger and easily defeated her every time. So she was going to ignore whatever that just was and…

“Hornet?”

She spun around, readying her needle. It was Herra though, sitting up and looking tired and confused but very much alive and very much awake which shouldn’t have been possible and yet…

“Mother!” Hornet ran to her side. Right now, she didn’t care about the how or why of it, all that mattered was that they could have at least one last conversation.

***

The Radiance was gone; dead, obliterated, nothing remained. Hollow was free. The seal on their chains broke, sending them falling to the floor with a painful clatter.

They had to use their nail to push themself back to their feet. They couldn’t stand fully upright though, even with it. They were weak, their shell permanently cracked. They were no longer pure. But they were _free_.

It had to have been the Pale King, right? This had been his plan all along; contain the Radiance within Hollow until he found a way to kill her himself. … Hollow had still failed him though, they’d cracked. They hadn’t been able to hold on long enough, almost but almost wasn’t enough. They weren’t hollow and never had been. But maybe… that would be okay now? Maybe the Pale King would still love them despite that and their failure. … _Maybe_.

Using their nail for support, they started walking towards the exit. Regardless of their failure, they had nowhere else to go except to return to their father, let him decide what to do with them. Hollow would just be happy to see him again.

***

Exiting back into the physical world was rough on the Godseeker’s body. But Ghost was careful not to kill her and to do as little damage as possible. They owed that much to her at least because it was through her that they were able to kill the Radiance and attain this new form. Which they were already a fan of.

They were tall and large, able to look out across the entire Junk Pit which felt so much smaller now. And… they let out a roar of exhilaration and triumph that bubbled into laughter. The void could no longer silence them because they _were_ the void. They’d had some control of it before, able to wrap their body in it and mix it with soul for spells but _this_ was something else entirely. They were a _god_ and they _loved_ _it_ and they were no longer bound by the limitations of their cursed hatching.

As their laughter faded, it was replaced with a heavy silence. Used to be they were accustomed to silence; it was inescapable since they hadn’t been able to break it themself. Lately though, they’d grown used to the soft sound of Grimmchild’s wings flapping just behind them and his occasional chirps and mewling sounds.

They turned their head to look back over their shoulder where Grimmchild normally hovered. He wasn’t there of course so they looked down instead. It was _weird_ to be looking at the ground from so high up while their tentacles that were where their legs had been were still touching it. But despite that, they quickly spotted Grimmchild.

He was cowering unsuccessfully behind the currently unconscious Godseeker’s body. He was so small and cute and… afraid. He was trembling, not even making any angry sounds. Ghost had never seen him that scared before.

With a little bit of focus and force of will, Ghost was able to condense their new form and make themself smaller. Even as small as they could force themself, they were still more than twice as tall as the Godseeker but not by a whole an obscene amount. That should make them less scary, right? Because they didn’t want to be scary, especially to Grimmchild.

They bent down to hold out hand, palm up, towards him. He didn’t flinch away but he didn’t come closer either. He remained frozen, his eyes locked on Ghost. … They had a voice now so they should speak, say something to assure him it was okay.

“Grimmchild.” The roar and laugh had felt cathartic but this just felt weird. And their voice, did it fit them? It sounded deep and cold to them but they’d heard other bugs speak of voices as if they always sounded different to the one speaking. “It’s still me. I’m still Ghost. It’s okay.” As they spoke, they gestured with their hands instinctively, pointing to themself and touching their chest and making a small petting motion in the air to show that all was calm and okay.

Grimmchild chirped as he lifted his head, tilting it. This time when Ghost held out a hand, he crawled towards it to investigate. He even let them pet him again. It was very different with such large hands and kind of scary – what if they hurt him on accident? – but they were still able to make him happy and soon had him nuzzling into their hand as they rubbed his head the way he liked.

Good! Grimmchild wasn’t afraid of them anymore! What they would’ve done if he’d remained so, they didn’t know nor did they want to dwell on such an idea. But hopefully none of their other friends would be too scared of their new form. They were all for sure going to be surprised though, Ghost couldn’t wait to see all their reactions. And they couldn’t wait to meet the Hollow Knight again for reals and all the Dreamers, more friends and connecting with a long-lost sibling was bound to be a pleasant time.


	7. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> On the final chapter someone asked for an epilogue and they said 'please' so I figured why not? It was *supposed* to be fairly quick and short but uh... I got a bit carried away.
> 
> Lost Kin gets the name 'Buddy' because I couldn't think of anything better to call them and I thought Elderbug would probably have trouble on figuring out what to call them anyway and him eventually settling on calling them 'Buddy' because they're a buddy to everyone in town made sense. And it's kinda cute so I went with it.
> 
> (Also, I never want to edit 6k words in single sitting ever again, that was not fun .)

The Hollow Knight statue was just as cryptic and frustratingly fascinating as ever. What Lemm wouldn’t give to learn more about the figures it depicted. Who they were, what they’d sacrificed, or even just their proper name. But alas, it didn’t seem like he’d ever know. That didn’t stop him from coming out look at it every so often though. The husks avoided it for some reason, making the clearing a safe place to hang out when he needed to get away from his shop for a little bit.

It was time to go though, he’d had his little walk and rest. Now he needed to get back to shop to finish translating the last of the journals the silent wanderer had sold him during their last visit. There were only two and a half left so hopefully they’d come back soon with more artifacts or he might start getting bored again. But with how long they’d been gone this time, it was starting to look like they might not…

Back under the canopy of the building, Lemm froze solid as something emerged from the now open sewer grate a few feet in front of him. The he head of something larger, it was impenetrably pitch black except for its eyes, eight of them all locking onto Lemm. The smart thing to do would’ve been to run and hide and _pray_ it didn’t give chase but its gaze rested heavy on him, pinning him to the floor.

“Lemm.” Its voice was deep and cold, sending a shudder of fear down his back. How did it know his name? What did it _want_? … What even _was it_?

More of it emerged from the grate, its body moving and flowing almost like a liquid before solidifying into a large shape with four arms ending in large clawed hands. Its bottom was mass of tentacles that partially liquified again as it slid closer to loom over him

Welp, it was probably too late to get away now. Lemm had a lived a fairly decent life at least. Hopefully it would leave his relic collection intact for another relic seeker to one day find and study, perhaps even discover the secrets he’d been unable to pull from them.

It didn’t kill him right away though. Instead it pulled something out with its lower pair of hands, to show him. … The silent wanderer’s mask, broken in half. … Lemm hadn’t particularly cared about them but it was sad to see them go anyway. They didn’t deserve such a fate, poor fellow. But why was…

“Me,” the being said, holding the two halves together.

“Uh… what?”

“My old form. I do not know what you called me so I’m showing you.” Wait was it saying that it’s the silent wanderer? But how was that even possible? “Don’t be afraid. Everything’s okay. I’m still me.”

Well, looks like Lemm wasn’t dying today after all. That was good. “But… but you’re… you’re…” He gestured vaguely at them because what even _were_ they now? And _how_ had the become that? Some species of bugs went through pretty drastic metamorphosis in their lifetimes but he’d never heard of anything like this.

“A god. Call me Ghost.”

“How though?” Lemm couldn’t even articulate how baffled he was. He still wasn’t sure he believed that this thing and the small wanderer were the same thing.

The now not so silent wanderer turned god/Ghost, hesitated before answering. Long enough for Lemm notice the fire moth baby hovering by their shoulder, chirping softly. His presence gave credence to Ghost’s claim because he always seemed to be with the wanderer in the past.

“I ascended and killed the Radiance in Godhome,” Ghost finally said. What did that mean though? “I have stuff to sell.”

Lemm took a breath to ask for more information but stopped because he wasn’t going to get any more, was he? Or at least it would take a long time to; Ghost clearly wasn’t the type to explain things without being heavily prompted to. Which honestly made sense, presumably godhood had brought with it the newfound ability to speak and thus they weren’t great at communicating verbally. More than _ever_ Lemm didn’t want them sticking around that long so…

“Very well,” he said. “I do not believe you will fit inside my shop anymore so we will have to conduct business out here. Show me what you have and I’ll bring out the appropriate amount of geo.” He was just going to pretend that this was a fairly normal business transaction for now. He’d try to learn more later, after he’d had some time to calm down from the shock of it all.

***

“This must mean that whatever’s been animating the husks and making the air heavy is over, right?” Cloth said as she turned back to look at Tiso.

He shrugged. “Maybe, I don’t know. We’ve only seen like three husks that aren’t animated anymore, so maybe they just finally failed or something.” Granted one of those husks, they’d seen randomly fall over in person and it hadn’t seemed like there was anything different about it. “Maybe it’s because of the rain or something.” It didn’t make much sense _really_ but it was the only thing truly different between the City of Tears and everywhere else. This was only time Tiso had seen a husk just randomly fall over so they had to take that possibility into account.

“Hmmm… I suppose you’re right. We’ll have to look into it more. Let’s go.” Cloth hefted her giant club off the ground and set off once more.

Tiso followed because what else was he going to do? She’d been the one to invite him on this adventure and he’d agreed to go instead of leaving like he’d planned to. But… she was cool and had a big club, how was he supposed to say ‘no’?

Judging based off all the once fancy buildings they were in what was once the rich part of the city. Meaning they could probably get rich here if they looted a couple houses. Was Cloth the type to do that kind of looting though? Would she be offended if…

Cloth froze as she turned a corner forcing, Tiso to skid to a quick halt to lest he run into her.

“Maybe let’s not go that way,” she whispered as she backpedaled.

“Why not?”

“There’s something out there that I don’t think we want to mess with.”

“I’m not scared.” Puffin his chest out, Tiso walked through the entryway she’d just retreated from to get a look for himself. It was back outside of the buildings, almost immediately to the right was a clearing with a statue in the middle. Looking at it was a large pitch-black _thing_ with big horns, fours arms, and many tentacles. Definitely the kind of thing they were probably better off not messing with.

It was too late to retreat though, it was already turning away from its examination of the statue. Its _eight_ eyes locked onto Tiso, freezing him in place for a second or two before it started moving closer, gliding across the ground like a specter from a fairy tale.

What were the chances his ‘friend’ would come to his rescue this time? Probably not very high. So he readied his shield for combat. He’d rather die fight than running away or hiding. “We can take it,” he said.

“Uh… yeah, yeah, yeah,” Cloth said as she stepped up beside him. “I ain’t afraid.” She let out a battle roar, lifting her club high as she charged it. Gosh, she was badass. Tiso, scrambled to catch up.

The being stopped and didn’t do anything as her club hit it beneath its lower set of arms, seemingly doing nothing to it. Tiso came in next, slicing at its tentacles with the sharp edge of his shield which also didn’t seem to have any effect whatsoever.

“Am I really that scary now?” It tilted its head as it looked down at them instead of attacking back. By its shoulder hovered the pale wanderer’s fire moth baby who was now hissing at them. What the fuck?

“Oh,” Cloth said as she lowered her club. “You’re friendly?”

The thing nodded.

“I wouldn’t trust it,” Tiso said, not lowering his shield even if it was useless. The moth baby being here had to mean the pale wanderer was close by though, right? Unless something had happened to them, presumably at the hands of the void thing, which Tiso couldn’t let stand because he still owed the wanderer for saving him in Colosseum.

Instead of answering the void thing pulled something out. … The pale wanderer’s mask, broken in two. “Me,” it said before Tiso could react, holding the two pieces together. “My old form. I’m a god now. Call me Ghost.”

Wait, what? Was it saying what Tiso thought it was saying? Surely that was impossible, right? It couldn’t _actually_ be the wanderer… could it? And what kind of name was ‘Ghost’? Especially for a god? And what was Tiso doing even caring about that?

Cloth broke the silence. “You’re really them?”

The void thing… the pale wanderer(?)… Ghost… nodded in the exact same way the wanderer did when answering a question. So… maybe it was them? That _would_ explain why they had the moth baby on their side. And they were a god now? …

“What the fuck?” was all Tiso could say because it simply didn’t make sense. How did something as small as the wanderer become whatever this thing was? A _god_ apparently. … “Does this have something to do with the gold place with the clouds?” Wait, no, that had been a dream so…

Ghost nodded as if they knew exactly what Tiso meant. “Godhome. I killed the Radiance there. How did you get there?”

“Uh… I don’t know.” Tiso had made the smart move in not messing with that stuff now if only he’d made the smart move and gotten out of Hallownest and getting away from all its supernatural bullshit altogether.

“I want the whole story,” Cloth said, her cheer all the way back now.

“Can’t yet. Busy.” With that Ghost turned and left without even a ‘goodbye’. … Yep, it was them all right, when they were done with someone they just left.

“Uh… okay, see you later then.” Cloth then turned to face Tiso again. “I feel like the husks all failing might have something to do with them becoming a god.”

He couldn’t argue with that logic so… “Probably.”

“What did you mean by the gold place with the clouds though?”

“Uh… it’s complicated.” No way was he going to tell her about that whole incident. “Let’s just… go back to what we were doing before.” He’d rather not think about the possible implications of his ‘friend’ becoming a god. … Did they even still think of him as a friend? … Which answer would be _worse_? He wasn’t sure he wanted to know.

***

The moment Lurien saw the Void God he knew that this was the being that had killed the Radiance. Perhaps the vessel had summoned it. Or perhaps the vessel had merged with its siblings to create it. Or perhaps something else had happened. Regardless, the vessel had something to do with it and it was here visiting Lurien’s tower now.

He stepped out to meet it. If it intended to kill him, there’d be no getting away from it so he might as well come out and meet it head on. And as much as he hated to leave his tower, he needed to go out and search for the Pale King anyway. His Majesty had not foreseen this… Or maybe He had and just hadn’t told the Dreamers? Hmm… a theory best not dwelt on until Lurien had a better understanding of Hallownest’s current situation.

“I suppose you want to claim yourself as Hallownest’s new god?” Lurien asked it as he approached.

It stared down at him, a little moth baby hovering by its shoulder, for a few seconds before shrugging and shaking its head. Hmm… that was odd but good. And it didn’t seem hostile either, hopefully it would stay that way.

“I’m Ghost,” it said, placing a hand to its chest.

“An… odd name for a god but I suppose it’s no matter. I’m Lurien the Watcher, loyal servant to His Majesty the Pale King.”

“He’s dead.” Was that… anger in its voice?

“R-really?” That _couldn’t_ be true, could it?

Ghost nodded. It could be lying but… what were the chances of that? And it seemed so sure.

“That can’t be though, He’s… a god.” Gods _could_ die though; this one had killed one a very short time ago. “How could Hallownest survive without Him?”

Ghost stared at him for a couple seconds before seeming to sigh and turning around to leave.

“You… you come here, tell me _that_ and then leave?”

“You’re attached to the Pale King,” it said as if that was a bad. As if it didn’t like the Pale King even though He was ultimately the reason it existed. “We can’t be friends.”

What kind of god wanted friends? It should be more concerned with gaining worshippers. … Maybe that’s what it had meant, it didn’t want Lurien as a follower because he was still attached and loyal to the Pale King. … Well, at least it decided to leave him alone instead of getting rid of him. But… it had left him at even more of a loss than before. What was he supposed to do with the Pale King gone?

***

Upon freeing Monomon from the tank, Quirrel hadn’t been sure how she’d get around but it turns out, just like the Oomas she could just float through the air. He was fascinated by it now just like he suddenly remembering being in the past. She’d never explained how she did it no matter how many times he’d asked about it.

“It’s just something I can do,” she replied when he’d inevitably ended up asking her about it again. Which was her usual answer. Recovering his memories sure was an interesting time.

What _wasn’t_ interesting though was Monomon’s sadness at the state of the Archive. Thankfully most of the storage containers were safe, though a few were broken or leaking. Not a single Ooma had resisted the Infection though. And now that it was over, they were all lifeless, their cores a dull gray instead of the green they were supposed to be.

“I suppose I shall have to make more,” Monomon said as they mourned over the fallen Uumuu in the central room, its cores riddled with slashes made by Quirrel’s nail. He hadn’t known at the time what he’d been fighting and now he felt bad about it but… it hadn’t given him much of a choice if he didn’t want to be electrocuted.

“I’m sorry Madam,” he said anyway because he _was_ sorry. Maybe if he had found a way to sneak past it, it might’ve been strong enough to recover after the Infection vanished. That _was_ a big maybe though.

“It’s okay.” She patted him on the head with a tentacle. “I don’t blame you. Given enough time I’m sure we can…” A sound from above cut her off.

Quirrel looked up to see ink black tentacles slithering through the opening in the ceiling. They wrapped around various things to help pull their owner in. Quirrel reached for his nail but Monomon’s tentacle stopped him.

“I believe this is the being that killed the Radiance for us,” she said. Which didn’t at all mean it was friendly but she still seemed unafraid so Quirrel relaxed too. A little bit anyway, remaining mentally prepped for battle when around an unknown being was always smart regardless of the circumstances.

The being settled in front of them. Two pairs of arms, large horns, eight glowing eyes, and tentacles everywhere made it quite the intimidating figure. The moth baby – that looked identical to the wanderer’s companion, enough that they were probably the same which raised the question about why he wasn’t with the wanderer – flying just behind its shoulder somewhat lessened that effect though.

“Quirrel!” It said, its voice deep and cold. But despite that it sounded excited to see him? It even raised a hand in a small wave.

“Oh, do I know you?” Was this related to another memory he’d lost? It didn’t feel like it but who could say for sure?

The being nodded as its lower pair of arms moved to show him something. … The wanderer’s mask split in two. “Me. My old form. I’m a god now. My name is Ghost.”

That was peculiar but… this was Hallownest, strange things were everywhere so this wasn’t too much of a stretch, was it? “Well Ghost, it is nice to finally know your name. And may I introduce you to Lady Monomon? Teacher of the Archive. It was you that freed her from her Dream, correct?”

Ghost nodded again as they put their old broken mask away.

“And for that, I must thank you,” Monomon said. “I appreciate this second shot at life.”

“Yes,” Quirrel said. “Thank you Ghost. I’m not sure how you did it but thank you for sparing Lady Monomon. You forever have my gratitude and friendship.”

Another nod but no words. Looks like Ghost wasn’t the talkative type even when having the ability to speak. That was fine though, the world could probably use less people constantly trying to make their voices heard.

“You will have to tell us the whole story sometime,” Monomon said. “But first we need to get the Archive up and running again so we can record it properly. So your tale will have to wait for a bit, I hope you don’t mind.”

Ghost shrugged; clearly they didn’t have much reason to care. “New friend.” They made a heart with their upper pair of hands at Monomon very similar to what they’d done towards Quirrel during one of their meetings.

Monomon chuckled. “Yes, new friend. I’m eager to see what becomes of whatever’s left of Hallownest with a void god as its ruling god. The civilization that existed here long ago worshipped the void, was it the void itself or a being like yourself though?”

Ghost shrugged again. They then looked all around and started climbing back up and out. Clearly they were done here and had other things to attend to.

“See you later friend,” Quirrel called as he always did when they left.

“See you later friend,” they returned this time which was quite nice. Now that they could speak, Quirrel would have to ask them about their adventures later, he’d always been curious about them and where they’d been and where they were going.

***

Neither Hornet nor Herrah had ever been particularly talkative and yet they talked for a while. They had a lot to catch up on, more Herrah than Hornet as the only news Herrah could share was that the Radiance was dead and that’s why she’d woken up.

The Radiance being dead had to have something to do with Ghost and why they’d never shown up to break the seal, right? Perhaps Hornet was just jumping to conclusions, possibly even based off what she hoped to be the case. She’d have to look into it later.

“What are you going to do now though?” Hornet eventually found herself asking after all her news had run out.

Herrah shifted and was silent for a few seconds before replying. “I don’t know. I was never meant to wake up and yet here I am. There are worse things I suppose.”

Hornet hummed her agreement. This meant she was no longer Deepnest’s leader – not that there was anyone left alive down here except for the Midwife and the Maskmaker anyway so Herrah wasn’t queen of much either anymore – and… Hallownest probably didn’t need a protector anymore, did it? So the role she’d been playing for the past… how long had it been? It was impossible to say – was also defunct.

Perhaps now that the stasis was over, they could rebuild. And maybe Deepnest wouldn’t need to be separated from the rest of Hallownest. Ghost was king now, were they going to do anything with that title or…

“Hornet!” The voice was loud and deep, coming from outside. It was also not a voice she’d ever heard before.

“Not a friend?” Herrah asked her as she stood, readying her needle.

“Nope,” she replied in a whisper as she led the way towards the exit. Being unfamiliar didn’t mean they were hostile but it was best not to take chances so she’d operate under the assumption that they were until proven wrong.

At the exit, a quick stealthy peek outside revealed who the visitor was. A massive void black _thing_ rested its chin comfortably on the platform’s edge.

“A void thing,” Herrah said with a frown in her voice after she’d taken her own quick glance outside. She was going to say more but cut off as something flew into the room.

It was Grimmchild, noticeably grown since last Hornet had seen him. He chirped when he saw her and did a little flip before heading back out, perhaps expecting her to follow. If he was here that meant Ghost was nearby. So before Herrah could ask about him – Hornet would have no idea how to explain him because she wasn’t sure of all the details herself – Hornet stepped outside.

“Hornet!” Yep it had been the large void being that had said her name before. “Sibling… sister! It’s me Ghost. Not little anymore. I killed the Radiance. I’m a god now.”

Well… that was a lot to suddenly have thrust upon her. It… they couldn’t actually be Ghost, could they? But Grimmchild had settled on their head, between their horns. He seemed quite content with them and he’d know best, wouldn’t he?

“You’re… huge,” was all Hornet could dredge up to say.

Ghost (?) lifted their chin off the platform to nod.

“How did you even get in here?” As big as the room was all the entrances were rather small.

“I can shrink.”

“But you want to show off, huh?”

Ghost paused before a moment before lift their head to shake it. “The room is big. I didn’t want to climb. Hello Herrah.” They lifted a large clawed hand into view in a greeting.

Hornet turned her head to see Herrah had stepped out too. “So… you’re the one to thank for waking me? And presumably also the vessel that disturbed us?”

Ghost nodded. “Killing people who can’t fight back is wrong. I killed the Radiance in Godhome instead.”

Hornet wasn’t sure she believed them but at the same time it made some sense. Ghost had been trying to find a way to kill the Radiance, apparently the way they’d found involved becoming a void god. They’d already been very near to being a god before anyway, they’d just need a bit more of a push and they’d evidently found a big one.

“Well,” Herrah said, “you have my gratitude for giving me my life back then.”

“New friend.” Ghost lifted two hands this time to make a heart shape with their fingers. … Yep, it was Ghost all right; they’d done that at Hornet once too and she’d seen them do it at a few other people as well.

“I wouldn’t say that. Befriending the void isn’t something I’m interested in.”

Ghost paused for a moment before shrugging. Hurt by Herrah’s words or indifferent? It was impossible to say. Well Hornet was interested in befriending Ghost regardless. They’d saved Hallownest and Hornet’s mother when at best she’d expected them to fight the Radiance in Hollow’s mind. So…

“I would like to thank you too Ghost.”

They nodded in acknowledgement. The fact that they could speak now was amazing. It would probably take them a while to get used to it though and Hornet wouldn’t be surprised if they were never good at it after how long they’d been cursed with silence. Speaking of curses though…

“Do you know what’s become of the Hollow Knight?” Hornet had been so caught up by Herrah’s awakening she hadn’t paused to consider the possible fate of the Hollow Knight now that the Radiance was gone.

Ghost shrugged. “Freed I hope.”

“You should go look for them, make sure of it.”

They nodded again this time hard enough to disturb Grimmchild on their head. He let out a rather undignified squeak as he caught himself from with a flap of his wings. He shot Ghost and annoyed look but was ignored as without another word or gesture, Ghost’s form lost its solid shape, shifting to look more like thick liquid pulling in on itself. They were shrinking, condescending in on themself presumably so they could leave.

“You see them as a sibling?” Herrah asked, her tone purposefully neutral.

Hornet turned back to face her. “Yes.” Even before gaining the ability to speak, they’d proven beyond any shadow of a doubt that they had a mind and a will, meaning they were alive. Meaning they were her sibling rather she liked it or not. Having a sibling who was the god of the void would perhaps be interesting to say the least.

“Fair enough.” Again, Herrah’s tone was neutral, not allowing any insight into how she felt about that. She’d never liked the vessels but this situation was so unique Hornet couldn’t guess how she felt about Ghost. It didn’t matter though, she’d grow to like Ghost regardless, everyone always did. They’d certainly grown on Hornet like mold.

***

Hollow had never been this far from the White Palace before. When they’d been transported to the Black Egg it had had been via Stag. Even if they remembered where the Stag Station was up here, they wouldn’t be able to communicate where they needed to go so walking was their only option. They had no idea where they were so they just went downwards as much as they could. It was down there somewhere. If they passed it and found the entrance to the Abyss, they should know where to go from there.

As they walked, dragging their nail behind them, they passed many lifeless husks but not a single living person. Was that normal? How bad had the Infection gotten before the Radiance’s demise? Had it killed everyone? Had Hollow really failed that badly?

That thought shouldn’t be making them feel anything but it weighed on them as if they were still wrapped in chains. They shouldn’t even be capable of having that thought. That’s why they’d failed. And that’s perhaps why the Pale King hadn’t come for them. But they had nowhere to go but back to him so onward they trekked.

Eventually they reached what seemed to be the end of this upper rocky area. But that’s where they stopped because something was coming up, something big and made of void. Even though they couldn’t see it, they could feel it so they stopped and waited for it.

Finally after several minutes, it arrived. It was tall but Hollow sensed that this was its smallest form. It was a void god and… it had a mind; Hollow could feel it as it… no they, approached. They were siblings. The sibling who had been just behind them during the ascent from the Abyss to answer the Pale King’s call. They’d almost made it too but had misjudged the final jump just enough to fail it, grabbing the ledge instead.

They’d killed the Radiance and was a god now. Their name was Ghost. They’d been dubbed that by Hornet, their sister. … Not clarification Hollow needed, they knew who Hornet was, they’d even met her a few times when they’d both been children. … Oh! Ghost wanted to know more about that but first…

Right in front of Hollow now, one of their tentacles reached up to caress Hollow’s face, just below the crack. Another tentacle hovered where their arm had been before the Infection took it. Did it hurt?

Hollow nodded. The crack still hurt a little. The arm was mostly numb. It had hurt _a lot_ when the wounds had occurred though, searing pain that would’ve made them scream if they’d had a voice to.

That made Ghost sad, their sorrow for Hollow’s pain radiating off them like waves. Hollow pushed it away, taking a step back. They weren’t supposed to feel things and it was their own fault for not being truly hollow so they deserved… No!

Hollow flinched as Ghost utterly drowned the thought with their own. Hollow deserved _nothing_ that had been done to them! … They shrugged because how were they supposed to argue with a void god? Ghost could obliterate them with little more than a single thought. … They would _never_! Hollow was their sibling, they’d never hurt them. They knew that, right?

They nodded; they had no reason not to believe that when that was what Ghost was telling them. It’d be much harder to lie when communicating like this anyway, right? … Right! And Ghost would never lie regardless.

Well, good. Hollow needed to get back to returning to the Pale King now. … He was dead. Ghost had seen his corpse in what was left of the White Palace. They’d knocked it off the throne with their nail.

That… that couldn’t be right, though. He couldn’t be dead, he was immortal and… No! He was dead and that was _good_ so Hollow shouldn’t be sad, they should be _happy_.

How could Hollow possibly be _happy_ about that? He was their Father!

Ghost was mad now at the Pale King and at Hollow for loving him. They just didn’t understand. They’d never even met the Pale King properly. If they’d had then they’d know that he wasn’t that bad, that he was…

No! Ghost again forced their own thought onto Hollow, this time hard enough to make their head ache and almost sent them to their knees. They could _easily_ destroy that entire line of thinking, not let Hollow think about the Pale King ever again but… but they wouldn’t. They would never. They weren’t like the Pale King or the Radiance, they would never force their will onto others. They were sorry they’d done so this time, they shouldn’t have.

Hollow shrugged. They didn’t care, Ghost could do as they pleased. It was far too late to be of use now but they could erase Hollow’s mind completely if they wanted to. They’d failed at their one purpose in life and now the Pale King was dead, they had no more reason to exist.

More sadness from Ghost. They didn’t force it onto Hollow but so close, it was impossible not to be almost overwhelmed by it. They didn’t want to feel things this strongly. … Ghost was sorry but they didn’t know how to stop, this was new to them.

They’d make it better though! They were going to introduce Hollow to all of their friends! They would make sure Hollow got a chance to be happy and give them a reason to live again! Given enough time, they would see! … Hollow shrugged, they doubted it but Ghost’s determination made it hard to completely discount it.

Good! First, they had to meet Grimmchild, Ghost’s dearest companion. He was a reincarnated Nightmare God but also absolutely the cutest thing ever.

Hollow glanced over to the side where Grimmchild had settled to the ground to watch the two of them; unnoticed before due to Hollow’s attention on Ghost. Cute wasn’t an adjective Hollow had much familiarity with but yes, he was cute. … He liked to be pet! Hollow should pet him! On the head, between the horns!

With a shrug, they obeyed, dropping their nail to crouch down and pet Grimmchild’s head the way Ghost had indicated. He was pleasantly warm as he made happy noises and nuzzled into Hollow’s hand. It was… kind of nice? What was nice supposed to be like though? … This! It was nice! One day they’d know all about what feeling nice was supposed to be like, Ghost would make sure of it even if they weren’t super familiar with it either.

***

In the middle of Elderbug’s tale, Buddy lifted a hand as if to shush him as they looked up and over towards the well. They’d never done that before.

“Is something wrong?” Elderbug asked.

Not answering even with nod or shake of their head, they stood up and started for the edge of town towards the well. Were they planning on heading down? But they didn’t have a weapon and they’d seemed content to stay, unlike their wandering near lookalike. So, curious, Elderbug followed.

They stopped at the edge of the well. They made no move to venture down, instead they put their hands on the crumbling wall and stuck their head out to look down it. … Elderbug looked too, seeing nothing. The air coming up from it seemed lighter than it had for the past little while though. That was a good sign.

“Is something down there?” he asked, looking back up at Buddy.

They didn’t answer of course. They didn’t even look up at him.

“Well… I’m going back to the bench, come hang out again when you’re done here.” He didn’t like the well so he’d rather not be near it.

Back by the bench, he looked up, ascertaining that Buddy indeed was still staring down the well. And they continued to do so for many minutes, completely unmoving. Elderbug kept an eye on them even though they were probably capable of taking care of themself, they weren’t a child after all even if they did look a bit like one. And their wandering near lookalike was certainly very capable so it made sense that they would be too.

Eventually when Elderbug looked back over there again it was to see that they’d moved and were no longer alone. A tall fellow had come up from the well. It was hard to tell for sure at this distance but it looked like they had only one arm which was odd, it must be a…

Inky blackness surged up from the well. There was no way that could be a good thing, could it? It settled, forming a figure even taller than the first new one. It was pitch black and rather scary looking but… Buddy seemed totally at peace with it, settling in beside it as the three of them started back towards the town.

Zote shouted something when he saw the large being and charged, waving his sword like the buffoon he was. … If Zote got the town in trouble with whatever that thing was, Elderbug might be tempted to strangle him. … Thankfully no trouble seemed immediately eminent as the being just wrapped one of its four hands around Zote restraining him with ease.

With a sigh and praying for the best, Elderbug started in that direction. Hopefully this could be handled peacefully.

“What is that?” Myla shouted from somewhere to his left. “Let’s go check it out.”

“I don’t know if that’s…” Bretta’s protest cut off with a yelp as Myla tugged her in that direction, pulling her along with a surprising amount of strength for such a little bug. At their speed, they reached the being a few seconds before Elderbug.

“Unhand me foul beast,” Zote was shouting, wriggling for all he was worth in the being’s grip.

Surprisingly, it obeyed putting him back down with far more care than Zote probably deserved. “Calm,” it said firmly, its voice deep and cold. “It’s okay. Everything’s fine.” That was certainly a good sign, whatever it was seemed to be friendly at least.

Alas, once free, Zote immediately pointed his sword at it again. “Name your business here foul beast before I…”

“Hush Zote,” Myla interrupted. “They’re friends with Buddy so they’re obviously a friend.” She gestured at Buddy who was standing between the two strangers, looking up at the larger of the two

“My siblings!” The being said. “Hollow.” They pointed at the one armed fellow who’d shown up first. “Zote, Myla, Bretta, Elderbug.” They pointed to each of them as it spoke as if introducing them to Hollow. But how did they know…

“How do you know our names?” Bretta asked before Elderbug could even finish the thought.

In answer, they pulled something out from somewhere to show all of them. … The wanderer’s mask broken in half. “Me,” they said, ignoring the shocked gasps at that reveal. “My old form. I’m a god now. My name is Ghost.”

Elderbug suddenly wanted to sit back down. The little wanderer was a god now? He figured they’d attain greatness in some fashion but this was a bit much. Having a god roaming around Hallownest could only attract trouble or at least noise, the last thing little Dirtmouth needed. But at least they were a kind god so it wasn’t all bad. Heck, maybe as a whole, this might ultimately be a good thing for Hallownest, only time would tell.


End file.
